Atal Bihari Vajpayee 96th Birth Anniversary: Here Are Lesser-Known Facts About The Former PM of India

India observes 96th Birth Anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He was also a founding member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born to Krishna Devi and Krishna Bihari Vajpayee in a Brahmin family on December 24, 1924, in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. Vajpayee's birth anniversary is celebrated as Good Governance Day. Atal Bihari Vajpayee Death Anniversary: Memorable Quotes by Former Indian Prime Minister.

Vajpayee did his early schooling at the Saraswati Shishu Mandir in Gwalior. In 1934, the former PM was admitted to AVM School Barnagar District Ujjain after his father joined as headmaster. He was an excellent orator, a statesman, a poet. Vajpayee is also considered as the leader of the masses. Atal Bihari Vajpayee Obituary: Pragmatist, Orator and Statesman Who Went Beyond BJP's Nationalist Political Agenda.

Here Are Interesting Facts About Atal Bihari Vajpayee:

• He came into politics as an 18-year old during the Independence movement in 1942 when the Quit India movement was going on.
• Vajpayee was first elected to Lok Sabha in 1957 from Balrampur in Uttar Pradesh in India's second general elections.
• He remained a member of Parliament for 47 years -- elected 10 times to the Lok Sabha and twice to Rajya Sabha.
• Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the first prime minister from a non-Congress party to complete a full term in office.
• Vajpayee was sworn-in as the 10th Prime Minister of India in 1996. However, he failed to prove majority in Parliament and had to resign after 13 days.
• In 1998, Vajpayee again became prime minister of the country. This time his government lasted for 13 months.
• The National Democratic Alliance returned to power in October 1999 with Vajpayee as prime minister once again. This time he lasted the entire term.
• Kargil War of 1999 was fought under his tenure.
• As foreign minister under the Janata Party government headed by Morarji Desai in 1977, Vajpayee was the first leader to deliver a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in Hindi.
• He had also worked with Deendayal Upadhyaya to form the Bharatiya Jana Sangh.
• During Vajpayee's tenure as PM, India conducted five underground nuclear tests in the Pokhran desert in Rajasthan in May 1998.

Fluent in English, his oratory was at its best in Hindi. Vajpayee was also a noted poet. His published works include Kaidi kavirai ki kundalian, a collection of poems written when he was imprisoned during the 1975–77 emergency, and Amar aag hai. The former PM was conferred with India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, by the then President of India, Pranab Mukherjee in 2015. After suffering from a long illness, Vajpayee breathed his last on August 16, 2018.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 25, 2020 08:08 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).